Read's Clothing Project

While Dries and Kim Jones were grabbing much of the attention in Paris last week, Capsule’s giant Fall 2012 menswear trade show took over New York. Capsule is a chance for buyers and journalists to review the designers whose resources don’t allow a presentation at fashion week or a media push. Fashion shows can feel a little tidy, even antiseptic, and trunk shows and previews can feel choreographed and corporate, but with 250 booths and even more merchants under one roof, Capsule is the closest NYC fashion comes to a bazaar.
The experience can be a little overwhelming, and even if you take your time, it can be hard to walk through the massive space without reeling. I am by no means exempt from this feeling. But once I’d straightened myself out, and collected my thoughts (which were, even then, still divided into sartorial categories of shirting, trousers, outerwear and accessories), here were the items and designers who stood out: